Making Mischief
by Painapurru
Summary: It seems like an inevitable meeting, the Witch and the Woodsman who spends all his time in her forest. But, when it finally happens, things manage to get a bit out of control. Who can blame her? She's hardly seen another human face in a decade. Rated T for language.
1. Every Day is an Adventure

Chapter 1

** Every Day is an Adventure**

_Luke_

The bridge was broken _again_, can you believe it? How in the world the suspension bridge that connected the mining district to the rest of the peninsula kept breaking was beyond me. All in knew in that moment, as I glared across the rushing river separating me from the forest that I needed to be in, was that I was _pissed_. I hadn't been the one to fix the bridge in a while now, since I had gotten too heavy to hang suspended over the river a few years ago. Oh trust me, it was probably better off that way anyway, I did better work my trusty axe in hand. So I walked briskly back to the house, muttering childish curses as I went.

"Pops" I called as I kicked the door shut behind me, "bridge is out again." I huffed and slumped down into a chair in the kitchen. My dad, the round, gruff old man that he was, came grumbling around the corner then, his thick eyebrows pulled low over his eyes. Sometimes I felt like I had no idea when the guy was irritated or just tired. His mustache was so often drooping over the corners of his mouth and some days he would just grunt his way through our conversations.

"Great…" He muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Bo!" He bellowed, and a groan came the back room of the house before the little blonde apprentice came out of his room. He stumbled a little bit and rubbed his eyes. I felt pretty bad for the little guy then. If I could have waited a little past the crack of dawn before trying to collect lumber, then I wouldn't be the reason he had to get out of bed early to work. The kid was basically my brother at this point, since he'd moved into the house last year to train under my pops. "Bridge is out again." My dad said gruffly before he just turned around to start digging through the fridge for something to feed us.

After a typical carpentry breakfast of fried up potatoes, Bo slowly jogged his way out of the house with a toolbox to fix up the bridge and my dad sat himself down at the register counter to sketch up some new furniture designs. We all have our ways, I guess. Where Bo was practically a zombie in the mornings my dad was the biggest grump around. But me? Well the sun was up and so was I. So then it wasn't much of a surprise when I wasn't exactly too content to be all cooped up in the house when I ought to have been doing what no one else could do better – choppin' wood! I fretted about the workspace for a little but when I'd spent an hour trying to focus on sanding a tabletop I gave up and ran outside, grabbing my axe on the way and shouting a "be back later, Pops!" I didn't bother to wait for the mumbled "okay" that was no doubt accompanied by him drowsily rubbing his eyes.

I dashed back and forth on the path in front of the homes of my friends and neighbors. I had to do something to get rid of all this energy or I was going to explode! The sun was shining and it was the beginning of spring – the weather was perfect. I inhaled deeply and looked out over the ocean, wishing there was something more to do than just sit here all day. I swung my axe through the air a couple of times and then _it _caught my eye.

The mine cart, of course! I mean, it was broken, but what was that to stop me on a day like this? I walked over to the cart, glancing over my shoulder to make sure pops wasn't there to catch me and scold me. The last thing I needed was to have my dad on my case when I was more than old enough to be taking care of myself. The entire area was deserted, which wasn't exactly uncommon these days, so I turned back to my mischief. The cart itself was in pretty rough condition, its wheels were pretty rusty and there were a couple breaks in the wooden frame. The tracks though, those were a whole 'nother story. The boards had been kept up really well by my dad back in the day and they'd stood the test of time. You've gotta trust me on this kind of thing, I'm a carpenter after all! It had never occurred to me to take this way down to town before, but then again I'd never had such a perfect spring morning ruined by being trapped up by the mines. So I hooked my axe through the loop on my belt and stepped out onto the track, balancing myself by placing my hand out on the cliff side as I made my way down towards Harmonica Town.

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><p>I hadn't expected it to be such slow going when I started out down the tracks but I let that go when I stepped out onto the church grounds and knew that I was home free. I'd get to go to the forest today after all. I whooped and pumped my fist into the air before jogging down into town and heading towards the farming side of the island. My stomach grumbled before I made it out of town, reminding me to run into the inn for a couple seconds to buy a sandwich to eat later in the day. Colleen gave me a funny look when I told her that the bridge was out but I ignored her and kept on my merry way. Fully satisfied that I was now set for a day of chopping down trees, I took off back down the path. I didn't falter for even a second at the big gates to the woods before pulling out the big key that pops had entrusted me with on my 16th birthday and letting myself in. The gates were just to keep people from getting lost in the woods and I had never gotten lost.<p>

Ok so maybe I ended up staying a _little _later than I'd intended originally when I got underneath all those trees and couldn't even tell what time it was. But no big deal, it wasn't the first time and pops hadn't been worried when I stayed out super late since that fiasco last year. Ok and maybe I ended up going a _little _farther into the woods than I normally did out of excitement. But no big deal, no one was better at navigating this place than I was and I'd never gotten lost before! There was no way this was going to be the first time, after all. Right?

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> GUESS WHO'S FANFICTION ACCOUNT JUST TURNED 6 YEARS OLD! That's right boys and girls, this account has been around for 6 years, whoa. So, in honor of the supreme age of my account, which isn't as obvious as it should be because I had the presence of mind to delete the truly horrible stories that existed in the before time, I'm started up a new fic. Things will really get rolling in the next few chapters, hopefully you like it! Chapter 2 should be posted later today, since I already wrote it. Expect a new chapter _at least_ once a month. I won't make any promises to be posting more often than that, but if I _don't _post more often and you wish I was - you had better pester me._  
><em>


	2. Soot, Screaming, and Secrets

Chapter 2

**Some Days are for Soot and Screaming, Some Nights are for Secrets**

_Witch_

I felt it when he entered my domain, of course, but I didn't pay it too much attention. That over-active person was the only one that really came into my forest anymore and he rarely came in very deep. He hadn't reached my grove since he was very, _very _small, and I had simply sent him toddling home with magic when his parents came crying into the woods looking for him. So I ignored the boy and turned back to my brew, unsure of whether this one would turn out or not. That tingling feeling at the back of my neck never went away like I was expecting it too though. In fact, it got somewhat stronger as the day wore on. He was getting closer. I grumbled as I went about my work, unable to get rid of the prickling feeling and therefore unable to focus fully on my research. I would have turned him away with my magic but I was too absorbed in my work to consider the solution that was right in front of my face.

I didn't notice that my cauldron was boiling dangerously as I reached back and grabbed the bat wings, the last ingredient for my brew. Obviously, the pot exploded right in my face when the leathery material broke the roiling surface of the potion. For the third time that day. I shrieked in anger and stamped my feet as I looked at the sooty black mess that now covered me and the great majority of the living room. The sight of the single clean space on the wall behind me - shaped like my body - pushed me over the edge and I threw my hands up in the air, cursing the Goddess for sending that wretched boy into my forest today, and stomped out of the house.

Messes made by magic can't be cleaned by magic so I threw myself into my swamp before I lost my nerve and scrubbed myself roughly. The water around me turned a sickly gray and the frogs nearby croaked in protest. I stuck my tongue out at them as I exited _my_ swamp and used a quick spell to dry myself before stomping my way down the path to find the source of my annoyance. Oh I was _beyond _peeved. Magic was difficult enough when mortals kept well enough alone.

He was standing in the clearing just outside my swamp, spinning in slow circles and rubbing the back of his head with his hand. I eyed the axe that he tapped absentmindedly against his boot and crossed my arms, preparing myself for him to spin around again and see me. It took a little bit of focus to keep myself from shaking, but I was bigger than this. He was _armed_, but I was still a Witch!

Then it happened – he faced me fully and caught sight of me, stopping dead in his tracks. Oh he was _handsome_. I'm not certain what I was expecting but I hadn't exactly been expecting to be faced with a fully grown man. The years had escaped me. He was long and lanky, perhaps even taller than the Wizard, but muscled in a way that made up for what might have looked like awkward preteen growth spurt otherwise. His face was well defined, with a high brow and sharp cheekbones. But what really caught my eyes were his – yellow, like my own. More years had passed since my last direct social interaction with the mortals of Harmonica Town than I would care to admit. I stayed my blush by flipping my long hair over my shoulder and putting my hands on my hips. "And what do you think you're doing in my woods?" I said haughtily, drawing on my carefully cultivated desire to be apart from the humans.

Where I might have expected him to stammer or try to make an excuse, the buffoon actually _grinned_. I fought the urge to quirk my eyebrow and continued staring the boy down. "Whoa!" He said with a laugh. "Hey lady, I had no idea all those stories about the Witch in the Woods were actually true!" I harrumphed at that, tossing my hair again. "Well, truth is I kind of sat down for a nap and now I've got no idea which way is home! But since you came from that way, I must have come from this way." He laughed again and gestured towards the direction that would, in fact, if he managed to stay straight, lead him right back out of my forest. At least he wasn't a _total _idiot, but I had my doubts about anyone that would dare to fall asleep in my woods.

"It's Witch Princess to you! Well, be gone with you then, fool." I said, knitting my eyebrows together and allowed my voice to grow louder with each word. "Your little nap distracted me so much it cost me three potions today! Keep out of my forest if you aren't going to do anything productive. Next time I'll do more than shout!" I immediately regretted telling him that I had messed up my potions, it instantly destroyed any perception of me as infallible and scary. I cursed myself internally for my rookie mistake; it really had been too long since my last conversation. I stamped my foot and pointed towards the exit before turning on my heel and storming back towards my swamp. I could feel his grin growing wider as I retreated and I clenched my fists in frustration. I felt like a child, but I wasn't about to contradict myself.

"The name's Luke! See you some other time, Princess!" He called at me before jogging off down the path, whistling some happy tune. How _dare_ he take the threats of the Witch Princess lightly! I slammed the door to my little cottage behind me, fuming as I plopped myself down on my love seat. The blush I was fighting finally burst onto my face and I shrieked.

"UGH! HOW DARE HE, HOW DARE HE!" I cried at the walls, at the crickets and the frogs outside, at the trees of my forest themselves. He'd cost me far too much concentration today, and I'd even made the embarrassing mistake of admitting it! Oh, how unlike me. I seethed as I sat there, although I couldn't bring myself to blame the kid. Luke. He seemed to be a bit of a doofus but he hadn't meant to cause me trouble. Hell, he hadn't even known that I really existed. My stomach turned at the thought of people thinking I was just a myth, but I guessed it saved my trouble in terms of them coming looking for me. Being a witch wasn't always easy, people could be… unaccepting. I began to cool my emotions some as I reflected on my encounter with Luke. It was certainly less eventful than some of the other times someone had found me in the forest. Flames flickered behind my eyes and screams echoed through the centuries as I sat there. Being laughed at certainly wasn't so bad, but it was terribly embarrassing.

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><p>When I'd finally calmed down to an acceptable level, I walked out into the forest. Darkness was falling and I had something to do that night. The shifting of the balance of natures had increased in pace as of late and I was growing concerned. The scales had tipped, and it wasn't a good thing. I didn't normally pay much attention to such matters because the majority of the forest was wrapped in my own enchantments to maintain its state but Wizard had contacted me about changes in the rest of the peninsula. While he and I weren't exactly on speaking terms, we had both agreed that it was a problem that we ought to investigate. Being the magical custodians for a bunch of mortals wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but the Earth was a necessary part of my life and I wasn't about to let it be run into the ground. Something was definitely up with the Harvest Goddess, the deity that controlled the balance of nature for our little corner of the world. The weather of early spring was brisk and I felt invigorated, confident even, by the time I met the Wizard at the path towards the mining district. In fact, I felt so confident that I thought I might just give the Harvest Goddess the little shove towards recovery that she needed all by myself.<p>

He was waiting for me there. The moonlight caught on the little silver clasp that held the single long braid in his short gray hair and on the necklaces he wore layered on top his purple cloak. The man's sense in style had changed very little in the time I had known him. "Good evening." Gale said to me after one of the long pauses that had become so characteristic of him lately. He'd been spending too much time growing stagnant with his nose in a book, I thought distastefully.

He fidgeted slightly at my silent approach, clasping his hands behind his back. It had been several years since we last spoke, a blink of an eye for people like us. I smirked and did a little hop of levitation as I passed him, placing a fleeting kiss along his cheekbone before I turned away fully and led the way up the path with long, confident strides. I giggled privately at the way I had felt him stiffen slightly underneath my lips, he still hadn't forgotten out most recent spat. It was something about the value of constellations versus knucklebones in fortune telling, or something of the sort. It would pass soon enough I was sure; it always did.

"Oh, a wonderful evening it is indeed." I said smoothly as he caught up to me with those long legs of his.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Ah, two wonderful things coming together in one story: Luke and the lovely immortals. You'll see a lot more of my headcannon for the Witch and Wizard coming into this story, and it'll be pretty much the same as what you've read in _Stardust_, for those of you who have read the story. Of course with slight differences since I'll be writing as the Witch this time around. Told you I'd get this chapter up fast! There's more to come, I can't wait to share it with you all. On a side note, bummer that my super long and amusing chapter names won't all be able to fit into the chapter title box. They'll still be shown in their entirety at the head of each chapter!

Please leave a review! Your comments are indispensable.


	3. Tall Tales from a Tall Boy

Chapter 3

**Tall Tales from a Tall Boy**

_Luke_

All those stories about the Witch in the Woods that my pops used to tell me had to be true, I thought, now that I'd seen her myself. Man, what a lady she was, that Witch Princess. There _definitely _wasn't another girl around like her. I hadn't gotten a scolding like that since I accidentally got Luna soaking wet when I was stomping in puddles in grade school! There was something kind of familiar about her wicked-awesome silver hair and her voice, but I let it go. Hazy memories weren't anything to get too caught up in, after all; there were way more important things to focus on.

I slammed the door open and then promptly closed with a huge grin on my face. "Pops!" I shouted, and almost burst out laughing when the old man nearly jumped out of his skin with the combined noise of my entrance and yelling. Chief – I swear that dog was nearly as old as me, if not Bo, by that point – just raised his big head from where he had been sleeping alongside the register and lazily opened an eye at me before laying down. Pops had probably been dozing off at the register again, waiting for me to get home. I felt a little bad, it had been dark out for a couple hours now I was sure, but it was nice to know that my dad was always looking out for me. "Did you know there really _is_ a Witch in the Woods!" I asked with my eyebrows raised high while I rushed over and slapped my hands down on the counter.

"Hah." My dad said dryly. "Yea. A real scary old green lady hiding out in the woods." He rubbed at the sleep in his eyes and his stool squeaked loudly across the floor as he stood up. He cracked his back loudly and let out a little grunt.

My eyebrows knitted together at that. _The Witch Princess definitely wasn't _old_ or _green_._ "Nuhuh. She's not like that at all. She's, like, super beautiful, with long silver hair and these weird poofy shorts. And a cute little witch hat and tiny cape. OH! And sassy." I put my fists on my hips and squared myself up with my dad. Had he really told me all those stories about a Witch just to scare me? He really _hadn't _seen her? I mean the guy had been going into the woods _way _longer than I had been, and I just didn't get the feeling that the Princess was new around these parts. It didn't strike me as possible that my dad could spend so much time in the woods over the years and never have encountered her. My mind was working on overtime and I felt like I was spinning in circles or standing outside during a typhoon.

Pops looked up at me through his bushy blue eyebrows. I'd gotten a lot taller in the three years since I turned 16 and I actually stood a few inches above my old man now, not to mention I had my work boots on. "Son. You fell asleep in the woods again, didn't you?" He stared at me expectantly and I tried to hold his gaze seriously long enough to prove him wrong. I brought my eyebrows down in a scowl, then started accidentally holding my breath. He kept looking at me levelly, holding his expression. It wasn't much longer before the air whooshed out of me and I gave a defeated nod; my face had gone all pink. There was seriously no way to win in a stare down with that guy. "Don't take your dreams so seriously, Luke. There's dinner in the fridge."

"Wasn't a stupid dream…" I muttered dejectedly and walked over to the fridge to pull out the dinner that my empty stomach was rumbling for. My dad gave me a warm clap to the upper arm before heading off to bed and leaving me to my own devices. I mean, it _wasn't _a dream. Was it? There was no way I could have dreamed up someone as totally cool as the Witch Princess was. Not to mention sassy and commanding. Nah, that was way out of the range of my imagination. Kind of girly for my imagination, really. My dreams were way more full of dinosaurs and explosions and awesome stuff like battle axes. Not that babes were necessarily _uncommon _in my dreams, but if I'd dreamt her up she probably wouldn't have scolded me like someone's mom.

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><p>The next day was a new one, my general outlook on life. There's something great about the way people tend to forget the little stuff with the passage of a day and start fresh each morning. So I rose with the sun – like I almost always did since I'd messed up the curtains that one time and pops never got me new ones – and got ready for my day. Zombie-Bo and grumpy-dad weren't long in joining me as I knocked around the kitchen getting ready. I packed up my own lunch this time, instead of forgetting, and strapped my axe to my side. I chattered my way through breakfast to my unresponsive table mates, like always, and then rushed out the door to spend my day off in the forest.<p>

After a few hours of gathering up lumber, I settled down on the stump of a tree to eat my lunch. The sun was high above me now, but the leaves of the trees blocked most of the light. Little golden dust motes and specks of pollen floated around. I made a game out of trying to see where they got off to, but I always seemed to lose track. It occurred to me then that I could go looking for the Princess again, just to prove my dad wrong, so I wiped my brown and took off deeper into the forest.

The sun kept steadily on its path over my head and it wasn't long before I felt like I was walking in circles. There was a _reason_ I was one of the only people who didn't get lost in the woods and it wasn't because I was lucky. I knew this place like the back of my hand and I had a great sense of direction; something was off. The trees started to repeat as I walked, the rocks appeared in the same positions, and the fungi growing on the edge of the path were the same. Something wasn't right, but when I turned and walked back I would find myself where I ought to have been by going forward. I rubbed the back of my head and dug the tip of my boot into the ground. I definitely wasn't lost, I had been paying too much attention. Plus I hadn't fallen asleep this time. After a little while longer, I gave up and went home in a foul mood. Getting _out_ of the forest didn't pose a problem.

I scrunched a smile onto my face before I walked through the door to the carpentry and greeted Bo and pops. They were in the kitchen and my dad was cooking up… something. "Hey, Luke, have you met Kasey?" Bo asked cheerfully. The squinty look of confusion that I made as I joined him at the table was enough to prompt him to continue. "There's a new farmer in town, Kasey! He moved into that little house on the path to the forest and he's been running around all day asking people about "bells". I think he's a super nice guy, he brought me a snack when I was working on the bridge yesterday." Bo's face lit up with a little smile and I couldn't help but smile back. I knew Bo was a good judge of character and he was basically my brother, if he liked someone then I knew that I would too.

"Hey if you think he's cool I can't help but believe that he must be. Kasey's gotta be crazy awesome if thinks he's gonna do anything with that run down place on the path though. Man, good luck to him." Our chatter then degraded into speculation about how long Kasey would last in that house, which we knew full well was practically falling down, before he came to us for a repair. I wondered aloud how a farmer would do when Craig's daughter had left town not even a month ago to look for a solution to our poor soil and my pops told us some old legend about the goddess's bells. Despite the meandering path of the talk, I never brought up the strangeness of the forest path seeming to rewrite itself that day. It seemed to me that dad and Bo wouldn't take me seriously, and I wasn't in a mood to be told I was telling tall tales again.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Trying to reveal some more of Luke's character in this chapter. Developing his daily mannerisms, social interactions, and doing some subtle plot movement/foreshadowing. Let me know what you think - please leave a review! Your comments are indispensable.


	4. Magic Isn't for Those with Weak Stomachs

Chapter 4

**Magic Isn't for Those with Weak Stomachs**

_Witch_

Oh I don't _even_ want to talk about what happened at the Goddess Tree with the Wizard. Of all the times to be confident in myself it was probably the stupidest. But _OH_, with Gale muttering in my ear about what a bad idea it was I just couldn't help but do it anyway. So I pulled out my chalk and I cast a haphazard spell to restore the Goddess and her Tree, the source of her power. Big surprise when it didn't work, right? Even bigger surprise when the stupid thing backfired.

So there I was, trapped as a frog with Gale giving me that _stupid _look of disappointment. Curse him! Curse the stupid gray hair on his head! Curse those awful crystal necklaces! I hopped away as fast as I possibly could, embarrassed beyond belief but still somehow glad that cold-blooded animals didn't blush. Not that I'd ever admit that I'd done the wrong thing, or that I was embarrassed. Such a thing was beneath me as Witch Princess and the last thing I'd do was tell the Wizard that he had a better grasp on magic than I did. I mean the guy was a total bookworm, no wonder he knew all the technical stuff! He knew it himself anyway, that disappointed look said it loud and clear. The guy really needed to lighten up, he was even more of a spoilsport now that he was shutting himself in his room all the time.

It wasn't long before I was back in my cottage, my little frog lungs heaving and the door having been opened and closed with what magic I could muster. I slept through the remainder of the night out of exhaustion but I rose with the sun when I felt a presence enter the forest. What was meant to be an internal groan escaped my mouth as a ribbit and I sent myself into a frenzy of frustration at the entire situation. When I'd finally calmed down enough to focus on the present moment, I realized that it was that overactive person, Luke, the bumbling blue haired doofus, back to bother me again. I definitely couldn't have him finding me like this. _Anyone _but him!There was no way someone so scatterbrained would be able to help me out. I needed the Wizard, but I wasn't going to ask for his help any time soon! I focused hard and I strengthened the spells surrounding my swamp. No, that boy certainly wouldn't be finding his way back so close to my home any time soon.

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><p>Weeks passed with me stuck as a frog. Maybe even months. Honestly I stopped counting the days when I got so hungry that I actually joined the natural frogs outside in eating flies. It wasn't the grossest thing I'd done over countless years of spells gone awry, but it was up there. When the energy that was constantly trying to work its way into my grove gave way to a new, calmer energy, I let the person in.<p>

A different young man emerged from the forest this time; he simply opened my door when I couldn't respond to his knocking. He cautiously poked his head around the door, then fully entered when no one responded to his intrusion. He carried himself differently than Luke, with a more balanced stride and a look of sharp observation on his face. In a way, he seemed to resemble Gale in his younger years, with the way he took in everything around him. "Hello?" He called. I jumped up and down and ribbitted shamelessly; I was sick of being a frog. "Witch?" He looked around and then approached me, a concerned cast to his bow. There was something charming about his shaggy brown hair and how obvious it was that he had a stake in whatever was going on here. I continued to make myself plainly obvious and thanked that goddess that my hat was still tied firmly onto my head. If this kid couldn't figure it out then he was even dumber than Luke! He simply murmured an "oh dear…" before turning and leaving my cottage.

I could practically feel myself deflating when he shut the door behind himself. This was _not_ good. How much longer would I have to stay like this? It hadn't really been terribly long but the season had passed well into the summer time and I was growing impatient with my slimy little limbs and eating flies. Still, I wasn't going to go running to the Wizard for help. I would sooner _die _than admit my defeat.

Maybe a week later, I felt that new person enter my forest, with Gale leading him along. _Had he gone for help? _My emotions warred between sweet relief and utter embarrassment. In the end I let them enter my grove and when they came through my door the young man still had that look of concern on his face. _Cute_. Gale walked forward with his stupid mask of complete passiveness firmly placed over his features, immediately putting me in a mood of frustration. Damn his control! He'd responded much differently to our long life span than I had. I forced myself to remain completely still as he took the little vial out of his pocket and dumped it over my head. The room lit up with magic and I grew back to my full size – thank all the Gods and Goddesses! "YES! I'm _finally_ back to normal!" I shouted with a big smile, overwhelmed momentarily with relief and setting my irritation aside. Hardly a moment had passed before I had flipped my hair over my shoulder and squared myself up with Gale. I placed my hands onto my hips and put on my best glare, stamping my foot. "What the heck took you so long!?" I shouted, and noticed the anxious expression that came over the new man's face as he backed towards the door slightly. Good, he ought to be scared of the Witch Princess. "I was stuck as a frog for FOREVER! I had to eat flies! And I was slimy! It was AWFUL! "

The Wizard exhaled slowly, his face not changing even slightly as I got up in his face. "I warned you… not to use that spell…"

Of all the things to say, that was the wrong one! I was positively fuming, _how dare he! _"So you left me as a frog to teach me a lesson!? That's just CRUEL!" I shrieked. The Wizard paused and looked at me. His eyes remained level and infuriating.

"Well, did it work?"

"ARGH! You make me so mad!" I shouted furiously. This whole situation was completely ridiculous. He could have come to save me at any point but had chosen not to! And he called _me_ the fickle one! Stupid, grudge holding immortal. I dropped my hands from my hips and glared at him for a moment longer before letting my face drop into a passive expression as well. "I hate you. Get out." I said icily, finishing with a big huff and crossing my arms. I watched as his eyes widened almost imperceptibly and I got a sort of sick satisfaction from it. Something about rattling that impeccable calm he had adopted made me feel accomplished; he'd changed dramatically over these past years. I was almost hoping that he would shout back at me, like he sometimes would when we were young.

Cue disappointment. Gale just murmured something quietly like "Never a more passionate woman have I met" before bowing deeply and turning on his heel to walk directly out the door. I stifled the sound of disgust in my throat and raised an eyebrow at the new boy, who looked slightly more terrified at this point, before he quickly followed Gale out of my cottage. I rolled my eyes, ran my hands through my long hair, and smoothed over my appearance for a few moments, silently thankful that I was finally _me_ again.

I heard to door behind me open and my skin prickled at the intrusion; he hadn't even knocked! He was becoming a repeat offended for barging into my house, and I wasn't particularly fond of him feeling quite that comfortable with me. I turned towards the person with a glare and he shuffled awkwardly as he looked at me. "What." I snapped. "If you're a friend of the Wizard, go on and get out of here already!"

"Um…" He delayed "I'm not exactly _with _Wizard, I just needed his help finding you. You wouldn't believe the ridiculous list of rare items he had me find him for that potion." I wrinkled my nose up at that. I knew full well that a reversal potion made by Gale of all people wouldn't require many rare ingredients. He had made things more difficult than they needed to be on purpose, the wretch.

"Fine. You can stay." I snapped.

"The name's Kasey" he said pleasantly, scratching at the back of his head under my glare. I turned from him and walked into my kitchen, grown dusty with months spent as a frog, and settled in next to my cauldron.

"Witch Princess." I replied tersely. Kasey followed me into the kitchen, staying at a respectable distance. "Well?" I asked, quirking my brow and crossing my legs as I sat down on my stool. Obviously he wasn't just here to exchange pleasantries.

"Do you… Do you know anything about the green bell? You uh... Well…" He said. The way his speech trailed off at the end and he shifted uncomfortably told me that there was something else that he was afraid to say. Probably he was just about to accuse me of stealing the bell and had thought better of it. _Well good for him_. Not that he would have exactly been far off; I had taken the bell out of the windmill some months ago when I'd first taken an interest in the plight of the land. But I hadn't been able to do anything with it, so it was probably lost somewhere in the pile of junk under the counter.

"Oh… Well I think I _might _have something green in my collection." I said, almost singing. This would be a fun game, I decided as I left my stool and leaned underneath the counter. I was determined to give Kasey a bit of a hard time after he'd taken so long to get me turned back into my human form. After about 20 minutes of pulling out every green thing I owned and him telling me that it wasn't the bell, I was _almost _ready to end my little game. His face grew more and more concerned and I suppressed the urge to giggle every time his eyebrows knitted together and he told me no. Well _of course _these things weren't the bell, but I couldn't help but take pleasure in his slowly growing frustration. He was quite the patient one.

"YES! That's it! Can I please have it!?" He said with a huge grin and a sense of relief about him when I finally presented the Goddess's bell. I pursed my lips and turned over the heavy thing in my hands.

"Well… Yea I guess so." I said and tossed it over my shoulder. I almost burst out laughing when I heard his little squeak of surprise as he caught it.

"Thank you!" He shouted and then took off out of my cottage. I nearly hoped that he'd come back sometime. He was good at my games.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So I'm going to mostly be posting short little chapters like I have been, and they'll continue to alternate between the Witch and Luke's perspective. But, there will be a LOT of chapters I think! As you've seen, the chapters won't always include both characters. Anyway, I've written several chapters ahead and I'm now in the process of revising them. I think what I'll do is continue this pattern of posting two chapters each week - one for Luke and one for the Witch - as long as my schedule permits me to do so.

Please leave a review! Your comments are indispensable.


	5. Deny the Stars

Chapter 5

**Sometime the Stars Themselves Must Be Denied**

_Luke_

The days seemed to drag on for a while there. After I finished gathering wood in the forest I would venture deeper in, hoping to see the Witch again. But the path wound around itself in circles ever since the first day that I met her. I walked straight on the path all the way to her that first time; now it seemed like the trail didn't connect to her at all. I just couldn't get her out of my head. There was something about the long silver hair, the bright yellow eyes, that crazy outfit from the pointy hat and poofy shorts down to the thigh-high tights that I definitely didn't make up on my own. So nearly every day I would look, and each time I tried to find her I would fail. I began to wonder if somehow she really was a figment of my imagination, and when I never found her a second time I decided that I wouldn't tell anyone else about our encounter. People called me stupid often enough, and I didn't feel like giving them something more to pick on me about when I was telling the truth.

Summer was in full swing by the time I finally met Kasey. My previous interaction with him was limited to walking past his house on the way to the forest, and over the months his little plot of land had slowly woken up; green had sprouted up in the dusty fields and the more obvious disrepair of the buildings had been patched up. Bo talked a lot about how nice the guy was, how he would bring him snacks while he was working on repairing things around town. It seemed like everyone in the peninsula had become friends with the guy but me! Granted, I was pretty much spending dawn through dusk hidden away in the woods at that point.

He moved loudly through the forest, maintaining a decently paced jog. It was a little unnerving to be honest. The only people with keys to the forest gate were pops and I anyway, since so many people had gotten lost over the years. I swung my axe through the air a few times, loosening up again after I'd sat down awhile for my lunch break, and waited for him to cross my path.

"Yo! Didn't think I'd be seeing anyone else out here today!" I called cheerily, resting my axe upon my shoulder. The dude looked remarkably average, he wore run of the mill clothes with some work gloves and had shaggy brown hair. He needed something extra, like my bandana and necklace were for me. "I don't think we've met." I offered with a smile.

"I'm Kasey, I just moved out to Harmonica Town to start a farm at the beginning of the spring." He said with a small wave, relaxing into a comfortable slouch with one hand on his hip. This dude just exuded cool, I had no idea how though.

"The name's Luke! I'm the best around with an axe." I declared with a grin.

"So do you know anything about there being a Witch out in these woods? There's a rumor going around that she stole something pretty important to the peninsula." Kasey really got right to the point.

"A Witch? ..." I said slowly. The gears in my head turned. Of course _I_ believed in the Witch, but I didn't know there were any other rumors about her aside from the scary stories my pops liked to tell. I decided it would be better off not to stoke this guy's curiosity though. I mean I was the best at navigating the forest after all, and I hadn't been able to find her for a season and a half! I smiled then, knowing what I would say. "Can't say I know one; I'm just out here to collect lumber for the carpentry." Playing dumb was easy.

"Oh." Kasey said, the slight smirk he wore flattening for a short moment. "Well anyway, I was talking to Dale to get the key and he said to let you know you ought to come home if I see you."

"Man that guy is always worried about nothing. I ain't gonna get lost." I said with a groan, swinging my axe down off of my shoulder and slipping it back into my belt. "Oughta go check in with him though, I guess. Later!" I gave Kasey a little wave and headed off down the forest trail to head back home. Pops would never tell _me_ that he was worrying lately, but he knew I'd come home if someone else asked me to. I guess he was right to though, I had basically been spending all my time in the forest. Not that that was particularly strange, but typically I took a few days off to hang around the shop and help with the simple stuff. I wasn't very skilled at the detail work, not like Bo at least, but I was the fastest at cutting out the basic shapes for furniture and sanding them down. So I walked home, taking my time and mulling over my encounter with Kasey. I would have wished him luck in finding the Witch, but I didn't. I wasn't sure if it was because I didn't think he could do it or because I didn't want him to find her first.

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><p>About a week and a half later I found myself off into the forest at night. I'd been spending less time in the forest lately, trying to help out more around the carpentry and keep my dad from worrying over nothing. In the end I grew pretty restless and Kasey had come into the carpentry to return the key to the forest to my pops. Not only had my pops insisted that Kasey keep the key, Kasey had said that he'd found what he was looking for. I'd followed Kasey outside when he left the shop and asked if he'd found the Witch – he had.<p>

Something about that had just eaten at me for the next couple days. The Witch Princess had to have let Kasey find her, there was no way that a newcomer could navigate those woods as well as me. _But why him?_ I nearly sulked, which is rather uncharacteristic of me. So after a long day of prepping shingles and repairing peoples' roofs from the recent wave of monsoons, I took off into the night. The sky was clear and the air was comfortably warm. I walked into the forest feeling a certain type of uncomfortable, though I'm not sure if it was with myself or what. This time I was going to make it to the Witch – if Kasey could do it then there was no doubt in my mind that I could.

The minutes passed, blending together as the moon made its slow arch across the sky, and it wasn't long before I was discouraged. It was happening again, just like it had been for months. The forest trail was bending back and overlapping itself in inexplicable ways. The same sets of trees and rocks were overlapping into an infinite recombination of the same features. This was really damaging my easy confidence, I didn't feel myself at all. My frustration grew and grew until I finally gave up and decided to climb a tree instead. If she didn't want to be found then _fine_. But I wasn't going to just leave. If she wanted me to get out of _her _forest then she could come make me herself. I settled in high up in the tall oak tree and rested against the trunk, looking up to the stars. Sometimes I wondered what was out there, where human hands could never reach. Pops liked to tell me that's where the spirits went when they left our world, but it just seemed too cold. I couldn't imagine myself liking it out there, let alone my mom.

My mom was really something else. She was beautiful, and I really mean that, but more than that she wasn't the kind of mom who just stayed in the house all day and made dinner. In fact, she was the only woman in town who didn't wear a skirt. Mom had this awesome light bluish hair and wore an orange bandana like a headband, the one that my pops still wears around his neck now. Actually, it was my mom who gave me the flame bandanas that I still wear now. She gave everybody something when she was around, physical or not, that's what my dad always says.

We would spend entire days in the forest together, collecting mushrooms and identifying leaves and chasing birds. Sometimes, when the darkness fell, and we'd already improvised a dinner out of all the berries and fungus we'd found, we didn't head home. Instead, my mom helped me climb one of the big oaks in the forest and we waited for the moon to rise and the stars to come out. I'll always remember what she told me, while she held me close for one of the last times. "The best thing you can ever do for yourself and the people around you is to be _happy_. You smile is your greatest shield and your greatest weapon. If you can love yourself for who you are then no one can ever hurt your happiness." It was something I always tried my hardest to live by. We picked out constellations and when I started to yawn she got us down from the tree and carried me home when I fell asleep.

I didn't know it at the time, and I didn't really understand what had happened for a few years after the fact, but my mom had always had a weak heart. She was a very active woman and really very strong; she was the one who collected the lumber for my dad's carpentry before me. But her heart just couldn't keep up with the rest of her. My pops always said it was because she gave too much of it away to all of us. One day, it just stopped. I was six.

Looking up at the stars that night, frustrated that some lady in the woods didn't want me to find her, I was reminded of my mom. I knew that someone like my mom wouldn't let that get to her. My mom wouldn't want to see me acting like this; I was bigger than my frustration with whatever was going on in that stranger's head. My mom's smile would never falter, she would just wish the girl good luck and keep going on with her life. No, the stars weren't a place for my mom's spirit. My mom would have to live in the sun, where it was warm and she could give life to the world every day.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> A rival appears? DUN DUN DUN! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that Luke didn't get too OOC in remembering his mom, but he is understandably frustrated with being unable to find the Witch again, especially knowing that some other guy has succeeded. _**Please review!**_ I'm getting kind of nervous with no reviews on this story and so many chapters already. (Yea, I know the chapters are short and I upload them two at a time on a weekly basis, but I _am_ putting my own personal time into planning and revising these after all.)


	6. Ineptitude Comes in Many Forms

Chapter 6

**Ineptitude Comes in Many Forms**

_Witch_

The oaf was in my woods again, and this time it was even later at night. I was blissful in my human form again, fully enjoying all that long legs and opposable thumbs had to offer, but I couldn't even focus as I sat on my porch and wrote the results of the day's tests in my journal. He was at a great enough distance not to be a dangerous distraction, but his presence was still a nuisance like a bug buzzing in my ear. My thoughts were consistently beginning and then getting cut short or growing muddled with the prickling of my neck that he was causing. I had ignored it well enough when I was working, but now that I was attempting to reflect it was becoming simply insufferable.

He had been in the woods often lately, but this was the longest he had stayed yet and he didn't seem to be moving about anymore. I wondered if he might have even fallen asleep again. This situation was really completely intolerable! How dare he not take the warning I gave him at our first meeting seriously! Unable to take it anymore, I got up from the porch, forgetting my journal and quill, and took off to give the bug buzzing in my ear a piece of my mind.

It really didn't take very long to locate him; my spell just kept him walking circles in the same little block of forest anyway. He was high up in a tree and, although he didn't appear to be sleeping, he was looking pretty spacey. Not that I was always particularly clear in the object of my actions but I had decided over the course of my many years that idleness really brought little other than pointless rumination. "Hey!" I shouted from the base of the tree, a glare firmly fixed on my face and my hands on my hips.

Maybe I yelled too loud or I had approached the tree too quietly, but the aftermath of that shout turned into a spectacle that I will likely never forget. Luke let out this little yelp and tilted off of his tree branch on the side further away from me. Before he had a full grasp of what was occurring, he was tumbling off of his perch and down towards the earth. He reached out towards the branches but couldn't get a grip that would let him right himself and he continued his unorthodox descent. In true Witch Princess form, I panicked.

I was never really very good at letting people get hurt. I was also never really very good at saving them. So the choice I made in the moment of mental confusion, as Luke plummeted towards branches and the hard dirt floor of the forest, certain to break bones or worse, might not have been the best one. I threw my arms up and a great ball of yellow-orange energy rushed to meet him. It slammed into his body before engulfing him. His descent arrested, he floated awkwardly between branches – knocked out cold.

"Shit!" I hissed quietly, secretly liking the feel of the modern curse on my tongue and wrinkling my brow as I tried to figure out how to get the boy down. The going was slow as I pulled him away from the trunk and down towards the ground, contorting my hands and muttering magic words as I maneuvered his gangly body. I dared not use magic to bind his limbs to him, lest I break them or run the risk of muddling the two spells in such a way as to drop him. I wished he wasn't such a distraction and I wished him out of my woods, certainly, but I didn't really wish bodily harm on him. When the body was finally free of the tree, I dropped him to the ground a little harder than I expected too. I was tired; managing that kind of body weight wasn't easy. "Of all the things…" I grumbled to myself irately as I observed the mess that I'd made of all this.

Another snap of my fingers later the boy was levitating just a few inches off of the ground, a bit of magic I hoped would last long enough for me to get him back to the swamp. I didn't feel up to the task of tethering him to me magically, so I grabbed his arm around the wrist and pulled him along. He was _grimy. _Lord knows how long he'd been running around without a bath. His arm had a certain residue of sweat, dirt, sawdust, and the particular dry particle that breaks from tree bark. I was so put off by his lack of hygiene that I nearly tossed him into the swamp for an impromptu bath and wake-up call when we finally got back, but I decided against it when I realized I wasn't sure if it would actually wake him up. Not in the mood for gambling with the likelihood that I would accidentally drown him, I pulled the blue haired boy behind me into the cottage and got to work trying to figure out what damage I caused with my panicked burst of energy.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Hey, look! Something happened! This chapter gets the ball rolling on some interaction between Luke and the Witch, so stay tuned for next week! I've started outlining things into the future and I've got a vague idea of how things are going to go up until Ch 18, but be sure to let me know if there's anything in particular you want to see! I'm contemplating finally writing up a story detailing what I imagine the Witch and Wizard's past to be like, but I'm not sure when I'll find the time to get it on paper. I also promised that I'd work up that sister story to Stardust, so that's hanging over my head (but I'm in the middle of revising Stardust already so I don't want to finish that until I've decided how drastic any changes I'll make will be...)

Sorry that this chapter is short, but the two I post next week will be a pretty hefty update. **Please review!**


	7. The Taste of Puke on Your Tongue

Chapter 7

**The Taste of Puke on Your Tongue**

_Luke_

The last thing I remembered was dazing off in the oak tree, having sat there for probably about an hour. Something had interrupted me, maybe a girl's voice? It was kind of hazy. I _vaguely _remembered falling off of my branch, but that couldn't be. I'd never fallen out of a tree before and I'd been climbing trees for like 15 years! Then I woke up to wet hair and the taste of puke in my mouth.

What can I say? I panicked. I scrambled to figure out where I was, adrenaline instantly coursing through me, and I hastily pulled my axe from the loop on my belt. Spinning around slowly, trying to figure out something, _anything_, about where I was, I realized I must be in a girl's house. Everything was pink, white, and purple, and there was a thick smell of flowers and something else I couldn't place. But I had no idea whose house this was and it didn't look like any place that I'd been before. Suddenly, there was a shriek behind me and I spun around, gripping my axe with both hands, to find the Witch Princess on the other side of the room.

"For the love of the Goddess! Put that thing away right now!" She had a strangely fearful look on her face and her hands were raised up in front of her, glowing in a strange yellow tone. I followed her command, my mouth dropping open just a little bit with the realization that this place must be her _house_. "What were you _thinking_! I could have killed you!" A shiver ran down her body in a wave and she straightened her hat. Her face fell into an expression that I couldn't really describe as anything but mischievous and she put her hands back on her hips. "Oughta be thanking me, stupid mortal…" she muttered to herself.

"How did I even get here?!" I blurted without any introduction. I'd only met her the one time, I couldn't think of any reason why I'd suddenly appeared in her house. Really, I was more confused than I'd ever been.

"_You" _she hissed "were in _my_ forest again. Not even being productive might I add! I warned you the first time that I'd do more than shout the next time!"

I could practically feel myself paling and I eyed the cauldron warily, my eyes flickering between it and the surprisingly scary woman standing in front of me. "You're not… You're not going to eat me… are you?..." I said, my voice barely above a whisper and my eyes wide. The Witch cooking you up and eating you was one of the stories my dad told for years. The Witch made a retching noise in the back of her throat like eating me was the grossest thing she could imagine. I never thought a gross noise like that could make me feel relieved.

"Certainly not, don't be ridiculous. You fell out of your tree when I tried to reprimand you. My magic knocked you out when I caught you and now here we are. Well? How do you feel?" She said expectantly, one eyebrow quirking up.

I took a moment to think about that. _Should _I feel strange? Probably, based on how she had said that and the fact that I still really had no idea how I'd gotten to this place. A little thing like her definitely couldn't have dragged me, and I wasn't quite sure I believed she could have just _magicked _me to her house. I tensed all my muscles, taking a moment to make sure everything worked, and felt a dull ache spike up the entire left side of my body. "Like I tackled a tree running full speed." I said with a grimace, gingerly touching my fingers to my left side in an attempt to figure out where the pain stopped. This was probably going to turn into a pretty wicked bruise. "Oh, and my mouth tastes like barf." I added for good measure. The Witch Princess smiled.

"Not so bad then!" She chirped, turning away from me and stirring her cauldron slowly. "Well…" She started to speak before I could say anything. "You'll have to pay a price, seeing as I saved your life. And you _were _trespassing again after all… Hmm…" She took a long pause then, placing one hand on her chin and turning to slowly meet my eyes again. I felt uncomfortable under her gaze. _This definitely wouldn't be good_. "You'll have to… Visit me every day!" She chimed, grinning widely like a little girl. She almost looked like she would jump up and down like the girls always did when they were excited in grade school.

I was floored, to be honest! Visit her every day? That's it? At least I didn't have to do something crazy like find her a rare item or … Oh I don't know. "That's it?" I asked, my voice somewhere between caution and curiosity.

"Yup! Every day until I tell you to stop!" She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled, turning back to her cauldron. "I'm not feeling talkative this evening so you're free to go. But I'll expect you back here sometime tomorrow."

"Oh, well ok then." I said with wide eyes, turning towards the door and preparing to leave. "See you later then, Princess." I stepped back out into the summer evening. It was comfortably warm while I made the walk back home. This day had rather unexpectedly turned everything around. I mean _everything_. I'd gone into the woods feeling like I probably wouldn't even find her and now the Witch Princess told me I had to visit her _every day_? I wondered how long I'd have to spend with her, and how I'd make it fit my schedule without freaking out pops. But none of that really mattered, I decided as a grin spread across my face and I snuck back into the house. After all, the Princess was a _babe_.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I almost forgot to do this weeks upload, I feel terrible! On a tangentially related note, Naruto finally ended. I haven't kept up with the series (although I've still been in and out of the fandom) for like 4 years so I'm currently binge-reading the hell out of the manga. I'm on Ch166/700, but don't underestimate my power, I'll have read it all by the time I post next weeks update!


	8. Approved for Human Testing

Chapter 8

**Approved for Human Testing**

_Witch_

Oh this was going to be _good_. I could practically taste the slowly building resentment that I would instill in that boy! By the time I would tell him never to come back he would be so sick of me he wouldn't come into my forest at all for fear of seeing me! I laughed aloud at my own genius. Yea, I'd have to put up with the nuisance for a few weeks, but I'd get my use out of him in the meantime. I'd always needed a guinea pig for new spells, after all.

The whole idea had come to me in a stroke of true genius, if I may say so myself. After I'd practically dragged him into my house and set him up, on the couch, head lolling, I'd set to work figuring out what was wrong with him. He was still knocked out cold. I looked him up and down, taking note of his ripped jeans and the torn off sleeves of his T-shirt. I still recalled when jeans had become the preferred clothing – terribly confining and scratchy things in my opinion and how he'd managed to climb a tree in a tight pair like that was beyond me. It struck me again that he was really rather handsome though, with high cheekbones and a straight nose. He was wearing a little bandage across the bridge of his nose and I wondered absently what it was for as I cast several divining spells over his body. Luckily no bones were broken, repairs weren't exactly my specialty, and there didn't seem to be any significant internal damage aside from what would definitely turn into a bruise where the magic forcefully stopped him. His sleep was partially from that force and partially from a layer of magic that still laid on him. Easy enough to fix.

I set to work at my cauldron, mixing up a simple fix that would remove the enchantment on him. Ingredients poured into the simmering water at a steady pace as I reached blindly across my shelves to where I knew things were almost more from muscle memory than actually recalling location. As I worked I contemplated what I would tell him when he broke up. _Oh sorry, I just scared you out of your tree, knocked you out, and dragged you back to my house! _Definitely not. Not that I owed him an explanation! But I couldn't just wake him up in my house and tell him to get out – _he would come back!_ And since my goal, ultimately, was to get him to stop coming into my realm and distracting me I had to do something more… _permanent_. Then it hit me, I just had to make him actually fear me or hate me! My threat at the beginning hadn't worked but maybe if I kept it up, tested magic on him and made myself generally insufferable then he would be begging me to let him go! Somewhere in the back of my mind my centuries of experience were warning me not to get too close to this kid, that social experiments could very easily go wrong. But I ignored it. The last thing I needed to be thinking of while I dealt with this bug buzzing in my ear was friendship or anything of the sort. _No_. It had been far too long since my last friendship and I simply didn't know how to be a friend any longer. I nodded to myself in determination. I would keep this boy around for my own amusement and run him off so he would stop bothering while I was at it. And that was that.

After a few minutes had passed there was one ingredient left: a piece of his hair. Some potions require a piece of the person they're intended for so that the effect is clearly written into the concoction itself. I was a firm believer that hair was the easiest way to manage this, although I'd definitely used more… _unorthodox _ingredients in the past. I leaned over him and he stirred slightly as my hands moved over his head, almost causing me to jump in alarm, but he didn't wake. Allowing a moment to pass before continuing, I fingered through his bangs to his scalp so I could pull a hair that was still attached at the scalp. I noticed that he really wasn't so grimy as I had assumed at first; his hair was clean aside from the sweat of just the single day and had a smell something like pine, not altogether unpleasant really. I plucked the hair swiftly from his head and he grunted slightly in his sleep but nothing else. The cauldron smoked and sizzled when I dropped the hair into it and then the whole concoction turned a light, semitransparent blue. _Perfect_. I decanted the liquid into a small bowl then dumped it over the boy's head before retreating back into my kitchen to await the results.

A few seconds passed. I wondered if the potion was even going to work. I had made it right, hadn't I? Then he burst up from the couch, reflexively pulling his axe from his belt. I let out a little squeak at that and pulling my hands up in front of myself defensively; when he caught sight of me he brandished it. His eyes were panicked and his wet hair was all plastered down on his face. I yelled at him to put the stupid thing down. I had never really been comfortable with weapons, the people who carried them could be far too volatile. I told him what had happened at the tree and gave him a little threat. His yellow eyes flickered to my cauldron and opened wide, his face paling. "You're not… You're not going to eat me… are you?..." He said in a tiny voice. I nearly retched at the thought. _Was my house made of gingerbread? Honestly. _He relaxed at the sound.

"Certainly not, don't be ridiculous. You fell out of your tree when I tried to reprimand you. My magic knocked you out when I caught you and now here we are. Well? How do you feel?" I quirked up my brow and waited for his response. Hopefully my potion had worked well and I hadn't messed up anything worse than I had initially thought. But who knows, I could have accidentally tampered with his memories and I would never know. Whatever.

"Like I tackled a tree running full speed." He said frankly, making various faces as he looked himself over. "Oh, and my mouth tastes like barf." I smiled. Reversal potions had a way of doing that.

"Not so bad then!" I chirped and turned away from the boy. I started stirring what remained in the cauldron slowly, murmuring some magic words to make the residue evaporate out. "Well… You'll have to pay a price, seeing as I saved your life. And you _were _trespassing again after all… Hmm…" I paused, placing my hand on my chin and turning slowly to look at him again from across the room. I was making a bit of a show of telling him what his punishment was. What can I say, it's exciting to have a new experiment! "You'll have to… Visit me every day!" I grinned widely. Oh yea, this would definitely be exactly what I was wishing for. This boy would be out of my hair in no time.

"That's it?" He asked, his mouth dropping open a little bit. It took all I had to stifle my maniacal giggling!

"Yup! Every day until I tell you to stop!" I flipped my hair and smiled again before turning back to my cauldron. I'd had enough for the day honestly, and I was tired. "I'm not feeling talkative this evening so you're free to go. But I'll expect you back here sometime tomorrow."

"Oh, well ok then. See you later then, Princess." My skin prickled a little at the endearing nickname but he was out the door before I came up with anything to spit back at him. Ugh.

"Princess my _ass_." I muttered acidly. Honestly modern curses really were much better than most older ones. It did kind of sting to be called Princess though, it brought up a lot of negative emotions. It's what _he_ called me, when we were young, before we foolishly decided to trade true names. I shook it off, it wasn't a good time to be getting lost in memories of heterochromatic eyes and the Wizard's stupidly beautiful tan skin. No, I had more important things to be planning – like how to get rid of _pests_.

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><p>Early the next morning there was a knock on my door. I'd been up for hours so I was alert – immortals don't really need too much sleep. Not that I stayed up for multiple days like the Wizard, he'd turned into quite the madman with the advent of coffee, but I subsisted on just a couple hours a night. I walked over to the door and snapped it open, a slight smile on my face at the new man. It was nice not to just be intruded on by him this time. He was really rather intriguing. Unlike Luke, he went about his business and then left. It was definitely preferable to the obnoxious effect Luke's more constant presence had been on occasion.<p>

"I'm feeling talkative today, you can come in." I said smoothly to Kasey before turning on my heel and walking back over to the bubbling mess that was my kitchen. I was working on something _new_. If I was lucky it would give one the energy to stay up for a few days without getting tired and oh I would _definitely_ be hanging it over the Wizard's head for a couple years before he figured it out himself or I decided to give it to him. I'd been through a few different trials of the potion, always with a ready-made reversal on hand, and had… _mixed_ results. But this was different! I could smell it, this brew was getting close to what I was aiming for.

"What has you in such a good mood?" Kasey asked with a smile, coming in and settling down at the little table in my living room. He hadn't visited since I'd given him the bell.

"Oh nothing!" I practically sang, giving him a little wink and continuing with the methodical stirring of my potion – three turns counterclockwise, two turns clockwise, and repeat. "Just that I'm working on some particularly interesting experiments these days. So how did everything go with that bell." I was little bit curious and I assumed that was why he was in my house anyway.

"Oh they went perfectly, thank you! When I took the bell back to the windmill, the Goddess's sprite rang it and now the wind is back to normal. Thank you again, I couldn't have done it without you." He sounded happy, I was glad. It was good that someone like him had come to help the Harvest Goddess; someone had to do it and I was far too impatient. "There's just one bell left but I'm a little nervous about it. I have to make friends but I feel like I hardly know anyone really since I've just been running around asking favors to get these bells rung since I got here." I could hear the frown in his voice.

I scoffed. "Humans are simple, just talk to them every day and bring them gifts and they'll be falling for you in no time." I flicked my wrist dismissively. Mortal lives were different than immortal ones, their trust was easier gained because they only had so long to make connections. I'd made the mistake of bowing to my emotions too many times in the past. It wasn't the same for immortals, you were still here when everyone else was gone. I was more careful now. That's why I was in the woods alone, anyway.

"I don't even know what anyone likes." He sighed and the chair creaked as he slumped back.

"Ask the Wizard." I said tartly before I even realized what I was doing. Giving Gale business! Ugh I must be really out of it today to go and refer someone to him for magic when we were still in the middle of our debate about fortune telling, for the Goddess's sake!

"Oh. … Oh ok I think I will. Thank you!" Kasey said slowly, then stood from the table and excused himself. He really did seem to just come and go in the interest of working towards his ultimate goal. He didn't really take much time to converse. He had just kept the conversation going until he'd gotten useful information from me. No wonder he hadn't really made friends. I tilted my head towards the door and thought on that for a moment before a foul smell rose to my nose.

I frowned. The potion wasn't bubbling blue-purple anymore but had turned a sickly brown-green. Too many stirs clockwise. Back to step one.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Hey look, things happened in this chapter too! This will be the mechanism for continued encounters between the Witch and Luke, and next week will reveal their super fun first meeting; I can't wait! **Please review!** Sharing your thoughts might even sway the direction of the story a bit!


	9. Unfamiliar Kitchen Concoctions

Chapter 9

**Unfamiliar Kitchen Concoctions **

_Luke_

The morning after my run-in with the Witch something totally awesome happened – the new axe that I had been trying to get Owen and Ramsey to make me for ages was finally finished! They told me it had something to do with Kasey's work on the bells. The fire hadn't been hot enough to be good for forging anything bigger than jewelry for a while now, so when the bell had finally been rung – whatever that meant – there had been a lot of work on backorder. But it was finally done! I was beyond excited; I'd been using the same hand-me-down axe for years.

So I had some spring in my step when I left the blacksmith's shop with my new axe in hand and Old Faithful still stuck in the loop on my belt. I took a few swings through the air and reveled in the smooth feeling of the new blade whistling through the air. The grip was heavenly under my fingerless work gloves and I was beyond ready to get off to the forest and give it a try.

Just as I made it over the bridge I caught sight of Kasey, just the guy I was looking for. He was bent over in his fields, pulling up weeds or something. "Hey Kasey!" I hollered, waving a hand over my head and jogging over. His land was doing a lot better these days, it didn't seem nearly as dry or dusty and his crops were growing large as summer dragged on. He stood up and wiped his forehead with the back of his work gloves, leaving a little smear of dirt. The sun was well over the horizon at this point and half of Kasey's field was still in shambles, weeds scattered around here and there and the spare chicken or duck wandering around. I didn't envy him his job as a farmer.

"Yo, Luke" Kasey replied easily, putting a hand on his hip and waiting for me to reach him. "What's up?"

"Forge is finally back on so I figured I oughta give you this." I said with a smile, pulling my old axe from the loop on my belt and situating the shiny new one in its place. I offered Old Faithful to Kasey and shrugged a little bit. "Pops let you keep the key to the forest so you should at least have an axe so you don't get stuck out there. Plus this way you can gather your own lumber when you need work done." It didn't feel right to me to let someone run around in the forest when they didn't have anything to use to cut trees or clear brush. Pops should have given the guy an axe to begin with when he gave him the key, but at least this way I knew Kasey had a tool that would serve him as well as it had me over the years. Cutting his own lumber would make work on his house a little cheaper for him too, which would probably bring some business to the carpentry.

"Thanks man!" Kasey said, cracking a grin and taking the axe from my hands. "Oh, hey I've got something for you too." He tucked the axe into his belt and pulled the rucksack from his back. After digging around in it for a few seconds he pulled out a mushroom and offered it to me. "I heard you like these, and it never hurts to have a snack when you're out working all day."

"Yea these things are pretty good." I gave Kasey a crooked little smile before putting the mushroom in my bag and turning to head back into the forest. "I'll see you around, dude! Gotta get as much done as you can in the summer – working hard when it's cold is even more miserable!" I gave him a little wave over my shoulder and set back to jogging down the path. Kasey was an odd guy, but I've got to admit that he always seemed to know what to say. He had this air of charisma that wasn't matched by anyone else on the area. I'm not used to getting snacks from people, let alone mushrooms, but, hey, why complain about a good thing.

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><p>My axe was really pretty awesome, it was cutting wood like it was butter compared to my old one. The day was dragging on towards dinner time but I didn't dare head home before I'd gone to see the Witch like she'd asked. I was a little bit apprehensive of whatever she had planned for me, but I was by nature a pretty trusting guy and I was in a great mood. So I left my grin on my face and knocked on the door.<p>

All of about a second passed before the door snapped open and the Witch stood in front of me with her nose crinkled in a look of obvious distaste. "You're less than prompt." She stated simply, turning on her heel and walking back into the home. "Come in and sit down." I suppressed my urge to tell her that I had a job to doing during the day and instead walked in and settled on the couch. The Witch strolled over into the kitchen, her heels snapping against the floor the whole way, and stood in front of her cauldron again. She snapped her fingers over it and whatever was inside started steaming. After giving it a quick stir she came back over and stood in front of me.

I swallowed, my throat feeling suddenly dry, and looked up from my place on the couch. The Witch Princess had her eyebrows arched menacingly and her mouth was held in a dangerously straight line. She leaned forward over me and took her hand from her hip, placing it firmly on top of my head; I nearly jumped out of my skin at the contact but her eyes had me pinned down. Suddenly she yanked a hair right out of my head and waltzed back into her kitchen. "Ouch! What the heck!" I exclaimed, rubbing my scalp at the hairline and glaring at the Witch while she dropped the blue strand into the cauldron and continued stirring.

"You'll be testing a new potion for me today." She said simply, throwing a smile over her shoulder and ignoring my look of distress. "You're in this mess because you like to waste time in my forest, so I'll be making sure that you're productive during your visits." My skin prickled a little bit at that. So she was going to be experimenting on me… But how bad could it be? I considered asking some questions but I held my tongue, afraid of making her mad. Maybe if I stayed on her good side as much as possible this wouldn't be so bad. The Witch waved her hand over the cauldron, siphoning the light blue liquid into a large jar and capping it off before she set it on one of the shelves above her head. She reached up into another cupboard and brought down a smaller container, this one holding a dark purplish colored liquid, and sauntered back over to me. "This potion will keep you from getting tired and allow you to stay up for multiple days feeling as well rested as if you just had a full-night's sleep." Her mouth quirked up at the corner into a littler smirk. She gestured for me to stand up and then placed the jar into my hands.

After a short moment of deliberation, I twisted the lid off of the jar, looked down into the potion, and then lifted it to my nose and took a cautious sniff. It didn't seem very intimidating, and actually had a rather pleasant smell of something like strawberries. But, being that I'd been testing the culinary endeavors of Bo and pops for years, I had a reasonable fear of anything unfamiliar that came out of someone's kitchen. "Are you… Are you sure this is safe?" I asked carefully, tilting the jar in my hand and watching as the thick potion responded to gravity.

"Of course it's safe! I'm the Witch Princess!" She tried to hide a blush by tossing her hair over her head. I'm not sure if that made me feel better or worse but my stomach did a little flip as I nodded at her and lifted the small jar to my lips. It was somewhere between bitter and sour and I fought the uncontrollable urge to purse my lips as I swallowed the beverage. It slid down my throat like warm pudding and I swear I couldn't feel my tongue anymore when I'd finished drinking it. As terrible as it was, I assured myself that it couldn't be worse than whatever the Witch would have done if I'd refused to drink it. The Witch looked at me expectantly while I grimaced into the now empty jar. "Well? You have to tell me everything about how you feel!" She seemed to be on the verge of tapping her foot.

"I feel…" I ground out, the world seeming to slow around me. "Weird. Really weird. Stuff feels slow. That stuff tastes awful, by the way. Smells great though." Everything felt slow around me, the air pushed against my limbs while I gestured as if I was underwater. "Did you say something?" I asked squinting at the Witch, who I could swear was trying to speak, but her mouth seemed to move lethargically and all I could hear was the rushing of my own blood in my ears. The colors around me seemed a little more vivid than they had before and the Witch Princess's eyes in particular caught my attention. "Hey. Hey wait. Have your eyes always been that bright? Princess your eyes are like glowing." I said, squinting even more. I felt like her eyes were glowing, growing, distorting and about to swallow me whole. I leaned forward a little and then I felt the air rushing around me and the bright eyes fell out of my field of vision. I was already almost to the floor when I realized what was happening, and it was far too late to catch myself. I felt something brush against my arm and my skin there felt it like it burst into flame. Then I felt the back of my head make contact with the floor and the world went completely dark.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Wooo, stuff is happening! This chapter and the next are among my favorites so far. Things are gonna pick up a little bit from here on out, but I'm still kind of a lame, rambling writer that focuses more on emotions than most other things, so don't expect lots of action or anything. Chapter 10 will be up later today.

Thank you to UnStellar, who left a lovely review as a guest (I found a profile but who knows if that's you or not, right?).

**Please review!** Your input is so important to me. I hope everyone has enjoyed the story so far and will continue to read.


	10. Mistakes, and the Inevitable Excuses

Chapter 10

**Mistakes, and the Inevitable Excuses **

_Witch_

I held my breath and watched carefully as Luke lifted the jar of Stay-Up Potion to his lips and downed the mixture. "Well? You have to tell me everything about how you feel!" I stated impatiently as he screwed his face up at the potion. It doesn't matter how it tastes, it only matters if it works! Wizard might disagree these days, but he really needed to lighten up about being mister perfect.

"I feel… Weird. Reallyweird. Stufffeelsslow. Thatstufftastesawfulbytheway. Smellsgreatthough." The words were practically pouring out of his mouth, stumbling over one another in their attempts to escape between his lips. He gestured wildly, his hands moving through the air in sharp, erratic motions that made me fear for the safety of the jar in his hands.

"Luke" I said, reaching for the jar in his hands to keep him from hurting himself. I needed to get it out his hand before he threw it or worse, crushed it.

He interrupted me before I could say anything else. "Didyousaysomething?" His eyes were dilating wide, the yellow irises eaten up by his pupils. It looked like his mind was processing way faster than normal; his eyes darted around a little bit and then he leaned forward slightly, peering at me. The eye contact he was making was oppressive, I fought the urge to look away from his massive pupils.

"Slow down." I said firmly, my eyebrows pulling down. I tried to take the jar from his hand again but he was still moving his arms around like he couldn't find a comfortable place for them. His breathing was rapid and his eye contact held.

"Heyheywait. Haveyoureyesalwaysbeenthatbright? Princessyoureyesarelike_glowing_!" He squinted and leaned forward a little more, then he was rapidly overcorrecting. He leaned back, and back, and back until he was falling to the floor, a dazed look on his face. I tried to grab him before he fell completely, but his arm slid right through my hands. The small jar hit in his hand hit the ground and shattered. I wish I could forget the sound of his head hitting the floor, but it's the kind of sound that sticks with you forever. The somewhat wet sound of flesh slapping into an unyielding surface, a dull thud that cracks in your ears with extreme clarity.

"Shit!" I shrieked, dropped to my knees, and fluttered my hands over the now unconscious boy frantically. I slipped my hands under his head and lifted it slightly, until the warm wetness spreading through his hair met my fingertips. "Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!" I shouted, becoming less and less composed by the second. I set his head back down and jumped to my feet before dashing to the kitchen; I pulled the big jar of reversal potion down from the shelf and nearly crushed myself in the process. I snatched the clean towel that I kept next to my cauldron too and then rushed back over to Luke. I lifted his head again and pulled off his bandana before pressing the towel to the back of his head, soaking up the blood.

_Blood_. I hyperventilated a little bit as I furiously wiped my hands on the towel. "Deep breaths, Vivi!" I told myself, sucking in air through my mouth and shakily exhaling as I unscrewed the cap from the large jar. "Just a little bump, Vivi!" I checked Luke's pulse, my breath catching in my throat as I felt it racing so quickly under his skin. I splashed a handful of the reversal potion onto his face and waited, my hand shaking against his jugular as I counted the seconds and felt his heart rate slowly dropping back down to a more appropriate level. I shifted a little bit as my breath left me in an exhausted sigh, thankful that I hadn't killed the obnoxious boy, and then I squeaked out a little sound of pain as I felt a piece of glass stab into the side of my leg. "Oh damn it all to hell!" I shouted, my voice cracking and tears bursting up in my eyes. I fisted my hands and then snapped my fingers out explosively, murmuring a few words, and the glass shards disintegrated into sand that I'd have to clean up later. My hand glowed a light yellow and I healed the small gash on my leg before I sealed the reversal potion and took it back to the shelf.

Moving slowly, the adrenaline having coursed through my veins and left me feeling drained, I returned to Luke's side and looked him over. His hand was bleeding from the jar shattering in it but his breathing had returned to normal at least. I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the scent of blood in the air. "He's going to be fine." I assured myself, kneeling beside him and carefully healing the cuts on his hand. "So maybe you should have had him sit down, but it's fine. You were prepared." I tilted his head and pulled it into my lap to heal the contusion before wiping the sweat and stray tears from my face. Damn this entire situation. I took the bloodied towel from before and wiped up the small puddle from the floor before snatching up his bandana and heading over to my cauldron. I removed the stains from both and then stood over my cauldron, gripping the rim and breathing deeply as I tried to regain my composure. Things were _not_ going according to plan. But they would, I reminded myself firmly.

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><p>I sat in a chair close to the couch and watched Luke carefully. I had propped him up there, his bandana tied firmly back in place, and was now waiting for him to come to. He'd snapped awake three times now and started babbling at a rate of about a thousand words a minute before falling back against the couch shortly after. He said random things, like "have you seen my mother?" and "bear cubs don't like mayonnaise!" He definitely hadn't regained consciousness. I monitored his heart rate and breathing, both of which seemed to be leveling out back to normal. The sun had set about an hour ago. I didn't give him any more reversal potion since time seemed to be working its own magic quickly enough. I mulled over my options.<p>

The potion was imperfect, obviously. It hadn't had such an effect on me, which drew up some interesting questions about the physiological difference between mortals and immortals. I hadn't expected the stress to push him to a faint. Perhaps the stimulant content of the potion was too high. But if I reduced it to a level appropriate to Luke and other mortals, would it still be effective on Gale and I? I ran countless calculations in my head as I watched the blue-haired boy sleep off his sickness on my couch. He let out a little grunt in his sleep and I returned to the reality of the situation.

I was going to need to take more precautions in the future. My goal was to drive the boy off, not kill him. Surely this turn of events would work in my favor, but I didn't need the experience repeating itself. I exhaled deeply and regained my composure. Yes, that's what I needed. Cool composure and intimidation were the keys to getting it into this boy's head that I wasn't one to be messed with and intruded on. When he woke fully, I would reprimand his lack of attention to detail; he certainly hadn't properly told me how he was feeling before he passed out. I'd already repaired all the damage done, so he wouldn't know how badly things had turned out. This would work out just fine. I was in control, after all. He let out a slow yawn and stretched him arms over his head, cracking his neck loudly before opening his tired eyes. They weren't wildly dilated now and he gazed around the room before focusing precariously on me.

"How do you feel?" I asked calmly, quirking up an eyebrow.

"My mouth tastes like barf. Again." He said, with a hoarse little laugh.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Does Luke have a concussion? Does the Witch have a phobia of blood or is she just squeamish/stressed? Does the Witch always talk to herself? _Will I ever get some dang reviews on these chapters?_ Stay tuned for next week's installation!


	11. Beautiful Day, Beautiful Girl

Chapter 11

**Beautiful Day, Beautiful Girl**

_Luke_

I woke up on the couch in the Witch's house, with no recollection of what had happened between drinking the potion and then. The room had dimmed significantly, the only light coming from the candles around the room since the sun seemed to have set. Long legs crossed casually and arms draped across the arms of her chair, the Witch was the picture of composure as she sat across from me. "How do you feel?" she asked with one brow quirked and the shadow of a smile.

I swallowed, trying to get rid of the dry feeling in my throat, and the bitter taste of vomit registered on my tongue. "My mouth tastes like barf. Again." I said with a dry chuckle. This was quite reminiscent of my first time in the Witch's house, but at least this time I knew why I was here and I wasn't soaking wet. The Witch tried to hide the little smile that burst on to her face from that, but I saw it. I wondered briefly if that devious expression meant she had something to do with the recurring flavor. "So the potion?..." I prompted. I assumed that it hadn't work as expected, since I was waking up a few hours later with no idea what had happened to me; it hadn't exactly woken me up.

"It was too strong for your weak mortal body." The Witch Princess said with a roll of her eyes. "Oh and not to mention your total failure as a potion tester. You have to control that tiny brain of yours and actually _tell_ me what you're feeling when you take a potion. Not just start babbling and keel over. Idiot."

"Um… Sorry?" I said simply, reaching up to adjust the knot on my bandana. It wasn't quite tied right, it was resting too high on the back of my head and felt tight. I wasn't really sure what else to say to the Witch so I settled on muttering "I wasn't ready, geesh." _Idiot_. She sure was harsh.

She looked down her nose at me and let out a little harrumph. "I'll have to reduce the potency significantly if I have you test it again. Anyhow, you've been knocked out for hours so you might as well be on your way." She rose gracefully from her chair and strutted over to the door. She had a little tear in her tights and I eyed it, my interest piqued with the single flaw in the woman's appearance. She held the door open with one hand and had the other on her hip as I got up from the couch and approached her. "I'll expect you back tomorrow, of course."

My brows drew together and I threw the Witch Princess a sideways glance as I passed her. She sure was brusque. "Alright. See you, Princess." I waved over my shoulder and took off down the path to head home. She was an odd one, I hadn't even started to figure her out over our handful of encounters. She was right, it really was pretty late; Pops would probably be a little worked up.

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><p>I woke up feeling pretty great the next day, and it was Saturday so Pops let me have the day off after I helped sand down some tabletops; I had been working hard lately. It was late summer and the weather outside was beautiful. Fall wasn't far off and a pleasant breeze blew over the peninsula, still warm but without the sweltering heat that came with a lot of the summer days. It was great work weather and even better weather to be free in.<p>

After lunch I decided to go down to town and take a walk around the peninsula from there, enjoying the weather and the landscape too. Bo had fixed the mine cart so I rode it down to the church grounds at a breakneck speed, a method highly preferable to creeping on foot down the track like I had a few months ago. The rush of air on my face put me in an even better mood than the weather and having the day off already had. I leapt out of the mine cart and jogged down from the Church grounds to town, smiling and waving at everyone I saw on the road. Candace, the tailor with pretty light blue hair, ducked into the shop at the sight of me, she always was shy, but Kathy waved back and shouted in my direction. "Hey Luke!" I made my way over, signature grin fixed firmly in place. "Haven't seen you around much. Things been busy at the carpenters?"

"Yea things can get pretty crazy in the summertime with monsoon season and all. Plus you guys have to get your firewood from somewhere come fall!" I laughed and patted my axe where it hung from my belt. "Pops gave me the day off so I figured I'd come down."

Kathy laughed, green eyes sparkling, and gave me a light punch to the shoulder. "Don't work yourself too hard, ya goof. I'd better be seeing you in the bar sometime soon! Did you hear we picked up a dancer?"

My eyebrows just about jumped off my face. "A dancer?" I questioned, my interest piqued. There hadn't been any sort of live entertainment in the bar Kathy's father owned for a long time.

"Yup, Selena from Toucan Island. She just got here on the boat earlier this week. She's pretty damn good too."

"Oh now I've definitely gotta stop by!" I said, grinning and adjusting the knot on my bandana. It was always exciting when someone or something new came to the peninsula, the daily routine could get pretty boring. I often spent nights off in the bar anyway, like many of the adults on the island, and the news of a dancer was sure to shake things up.

"Well duh!" Kathy said with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, lots of stuff to get ready at the bar, Saturday and all. See ya, Luke!"

"Later!" I called as she turned and breezed back through the doors to the bar, long blonde ponytail swinging. Kathy always had a way of making people comfortable; her friendliness made her dad's bar a really successful place in town. Her looks probably didn't hurt either, I thought with a subdued chuckle. I turned my face into the breeze again and took a deep breath before heading down towards the beach. The day really was just too beautiful. In that moment, she caught my eye.

I know I said the Witch was a babe, but this girl was all woman. She had curves in all the right places and her loose clothes showed expanses of her tan skin. The waves were crashing on the sand and she was dancing in time with the ocean, her body undulating and her arms sweeping through the air in wide graceful movements. It was pretty mesmerizing, so I just stood there and stared. She finished her a dance a few moments later and on her final turn caught sight of me. Purple eyes widened and caramel skin blushed a little bit; she hadn't heard my approach through the sand.

"Very nice!" I said with a wide grin and clapped for her performance.

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" She asked, one brow quirked and one hand on her hip. The edges of her mouth quirked up in a smile almost as mischievous as the Witch Princess's. She looked so expectant; I fought the urge to laugh right then and there.

I gave her a long look, holding the amused smile on my face. "… Well, see ya!" I said with a little wave. She knew darn well it was a compliment and I wasn't about to give her more just because she was asking for them. Pops always said you should tease a girl a little.

"That's it?" She asked incredulously. "Don't you want to know my name? Or where I'm from? Or… anything!?" She pursed her lips a little bit. Man, she sure did have a personality. But I guess it hadn't really occurred to me that I should ask her, since Kathy had just told me who she was anyway. This _had_ to be the new dancer from Toucan Island.

"I'm Luke." I said with a smile.

"Hmph. That's not a question." She quipped before I could say anything else.

"Hey I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't offer you my name before asking yours." I said with a little wink. She sure was flustered; it was pretty funny. The slight blush of frustration on her cheeks suited her.

She tossed her bright red hair at that. It was bound into a complex up-do, but her long bangs still flicked over her shoulder and the gold hair ornaments jingled. "You've got a point. I'm Selena"

"Well Selena, where's your regular hangout?" I asked. It was pretty obvious that she wanted me to ask her questions; she seemed like the kind of girl that wanted to be paid attention to.

"The bar." She said simply. "You should come see me dance there sometime." She smiled slyly, then started to walk past me.

"Maybe I will. See you later, Selena." I grinned and gave her a little wave before continuing my way around the island. She would definitely be good for Kathy's business; she had talent and she was beautiful. The guys wouldn't be talking about anything else for a few weeks. I dug my hands down into my pockets and considered how I'd be spending the rest of the day. Heading down to the bar later on would be fun, not to mention I'd get to see Selena dance again. But the Witch was expecting me back. Maybe if I showed up early in the forest then I would get to leave early so I'd get plenty of time to enjoy myself in the bar? It felt like a fair enough plan, so I turned and made my way towards Fugue Forest, wary of whatever it was the Witch Princess had in store for me and excited to see the gorgeous redhead dance again that night.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> A rival appears? DUN DUN DUN! (Did you just get deja vu for Chapter 5, because I know I did.) Apparently the secret to getting reviews is whining? Don't worry, I'm not normally a whiner. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter and I hope you continue to do so (even when I'm not whining for it). I'm glad there seem to be so many reviews on the story, over 50 views last Thursday! Thanks guys! The next chapter will be up later today! **Please review 3**


	12. Fugue Fungus Frustrations

Chapter 12

**Fugue Fungus Frustrations**

_Witch_

It was a little after midday when I felt Luke's presence make its way through the forest and I heard his knock at my door. "Much better timing today." I said simply as I opened the door. He smiled and shifted somewhat uncomfortably. Perfect, we were making progress. "Since I haven't reworked any potions to human dosages we won't be doing anything like that today." The wave of relief that washed over him was plainly visible. "However," I said; he tensed. "We're going to be spending the afternoon searching for a rare ingredient that I've run out of. Come along." I breezed past him, closing the door behind me, and walked across the bridge over my swamp. He stood frozen at my door for a few seconds and I grinned towards the forest. Oh yes, things were certainly going my way.

"Wait, what are we looking for?" He called, jogging forward to draw even with me. He kept pace easily enough, being rather tall.

"Fugue Mushrooms."

"Fugue what?" I glanced at him, irritated with his stupidity. Honestly, didn't everyone know what a Fugue Mushroom was? At the very least he ought to know them as the most poisonous mushroom on the peninsula. He was a woodsman for the Goddess's sake, only a fool would spend all day in the forest and be wary of what was poisonous.

"Fugue Mushroom." I said sternly. "They're purple with pink spots, and they sort or glow. Or sparkle or whatever. Very poisonous and very, _very_ rare. I need them for potions. So keep your eyes peeled!" I commanded imperiously.

He quirked an eyebrow at me, those amber eyes looked bored with my description. Before I had a chance to purse my lips and demand _what_, Luke shrugged and walked on in front of me, peering at all of the fungus on the sides of the path and dashing about madly whenever something slightly shining caught his attention. More often than not he was just digging around in patches of toadstools and falling into puddles hidden by the leaves of bushes. I rolled my eyes and trailed behind him, carefully peering into the shadows that he had neglected and crossing my fingers to find a mushroom. There was only ever one fugue mushroom in the forest at a time, and sometimes none at all. I had my suspicions that Wizard was still trespassing into my forest to take the mushrooms, but he was good at avoiding me so I hadn't caught him in the act for quite some time.

"Hey is this one!" Luke called excitedly, pointing down at a green and yellow toadstool, grinning widely.

"Tch. I said pink and purple, idiot! That's just a stupid old toadstool, nothing magic about that." I flipped my hair and continued past Luke, relishing the sight of him deflating at my criticism. Serves him right, he ought to pay closer attention to me when I talk!

"Oh…" He muttered before catching up and starting the search anew. He was so energetic, it was kind of uplifting. An hour passed that way, with us aimlessly combing the forest for a Fugue Mushroom. I began to wonder if Gale really had come and taken the mushroom; I hadn't felt his presence but he was strong enough to mask it if he wanted to. I considered calling off the search, but that would defeat my purpose in irritating Luke. He was still bouncing from place to place, but his fruitless efforts were beginning to wear him down. I could see it in the way his feet were starting to drag and he didn't have as hopeful a look when he indicated a new fungus to me. It wasn't much longer before I felt Kasey, the farmer trying to set things right with nature, approaching through the forest. He had entered the forest earlier that day, but hadn't come to see me. He was busy trying to befriend the villagers and ring the fifth bell, I presumed.

"Yo, Luke." He shouted, having caught sight of Luke digging through a patch of mushrooms up ahead of me.

"Oh, hey dude!" Luke said with a grin, standing up and brushing the dirt on his hands off onto his pants. "What's up?"

"Oh I was just on my way to see the Wi-." Kasey cut off, having turned his head and seen my not standing far behind Luke. I smirked and gave him a little wave. "Witch… Luke, what are you doing with the Witch?" He said in a confused tone. Right to the point, like always.

"Ah… That's a long story." Luke said with a little laugh. I applauded him for the dodge, it would probably be a little embarrassing to explain that I was punishing him. "But we're looking for Fugue Mushrooms!"

Kasey shifted uncomfortably. "I'm out, and I need them for my potions." I supplied with a little smile. The brunette scratched his head, seemingly still at a loss for how to handle the unexpected appearance not only of me out in the forest but of me _with Luke_. Suddenly, he pulled off his rucksack and started to dig through it, shuffling towards me as he did.

"Is it one of these?" He asked softly, offering up the shining piece of fungus in his hand. It was absolutely perfect, the purple-blue cap covered in bright pink spots. He didn't flinch when I reached out to touch it, so I took it from his hand.

"Ah, you found one! Thank you, Kasey." I discreetly quirked an eyebrow at Luke. He almost looked disappointed at the thought that he wasn't the one to find the mushroom. Perhaps he had been enjoying the challenge. I decided to rub it in a little and brandished the mushroom in Luke's direction. "_This_ is a Fugue Mushroom." I said with a toothy smile.

"I thought there was something magical looking about it." Kasey said with a grin. "I found it this morning."

"Well thanks for giving it to me! I love them. I'll see the two of you some other time, lots of work to do." I gave Luke a wink; he'd better prepare himself for the next day. _He_ still hadn't found a Fugue Mushroom, and I wasn't about to let him off the hook on this task. But that was a matter that could be left for the next day. I turned on my heel and left the two boys together, already on my way to conduct experiments and brew potions with the fungus.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I supposed I should apologize for the brief chapter, since that's something readers often don't like. In my defense, this is still sort of a slice-of-life story and there's just not much out of the ordinary happening in the Witch and Luke's daily routines. I imagine it would be quite annoying if I detailed the same mundane stuff in each chapter.

In other news: To the handful of readers actively following this story, sorry. Thanksgiving is next week and after that there are only 2 weeks until finals at my college. Which means there's plenty of studying and final projects on my plate - and less time to work on fanfic. So there may or may not be an update for the next few weeks, depending on my use of free time. After the end of the semester things should return to the 2 chapter a week Thursday updates.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	13. Gyration Leads To ?

Chapter 13

**Gyration Leads to … ?**

_Luke_

Watching Kasey with the Witch was kind of irritating, for some reason. I couldn't really place it, but something about his easy slouch while she stood so close to him and the way she was subtly batting her eyelashes just rubbed me the wrong way. That and _he_ was the one who found the mushroom. All this time stuck with the Witch and I hadn't even beaten her challenge! I never was a good loser, and this felt a lot like losing.

The Witch strolled back into the forest and Kasey watched her go before turning back to me. "So, you and the Witch?" He said with a little smile. The question hung in the air, ambiguous. I had shirked off the question earlier, but what should I say now? Really though, what was he even asking?

"Ah… yea." I said, grinning and adjusting the knot of my bandanna. Might as well answer vague questions with vague answers, right? "She caught me in the forest and told me I had to help her find one of those mushrooms." I shrugged my shoulders. It was a little embarrassing really, to admit I was being pushed around by her, but hopefully my casual dismissal worked. They said he was the guy helping the Harvest Goddess, so he had to believe in the supernatural more than my dad at the very least. If he knew that the Witch could really do magic then he probably understood why I went along with her demands.

"Hm… Yea that Witch Princess certainly has her temper." Kasey cracked a little smile. I let my slight embarrassment slide at that, it seemed like he would have done whatever an irritated Witch Princess asked just like I did.

The silence dragged on for a few more seconds and I fidgeted for a change in subject when it seemed he didn't have anything more to say. "Yup... Oh hey, Kathy invited me down to see the new dancer tonight at the bar. It's Saturday night so there's sure to be plenty of people there, plus it's my day off, too. You wanna come?" I rambled on. Seemed about time that I get to know the guy a little better anyway, and I wasn't about to let some mushroom-weirdness get in the way of what was supposed to be an awesome day. The weather was still amazing, and the day was drawing to a close. It was about to time to head into town, grab some dinner, and meet up with my friends in the bar. I wasn't a big fan of the trappings of adulthood, but being able to go out with my friends was pretty cool.

"Sure!" His face lit up in the most genuine grin I'd seen on his face yet. Was he the kind of guy that just smiled to make other people feel comfortable? I couldn't quite tell.

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><p>The bar was loud and busy, like it generally was on Saturday nights. People weren't the way they used to be, with the land in the poor state it had been, but they still got pretty rowdy when you put them all in the same room. When Kasey and I walked through the door, Chase, the rude chef, was already frying up some food behind the counter. Kathy and her dad, Hayden, were carrying a loud conversation with my best friend Owen, the burliest miner around. The bar doors banged shut behind Kasey and I and Kathy caught sight of us. "Well if it isn't Kasey, savior of the four elements!" She grinned and winked. Owen tensed up a little bit, something probably only I would notice, and turned in his seat. "Get your butt over here! You too Luke, you've been hiding out in the forest way to much lately."<p>

I waved and smiled at Kathy like I always did and walked over to sit with Owen at the bar. Kathy had that older sister vibe to her that just drew people in; she'd always been that girl to keep the other kids in line when we were growing up. Not that she didn't get into her own fair share of trouble as a kid. Kathy knew how to rough-house and break stuff just as well as any of us boys, but she was way better at talking her way out of a tight spot. She was the same age as Owen at 21, about a year and a half older than me, and we'd all grown up close. I wondered how old Kasey was – he seemed like he might be older than me but I wasn't quite sure – and how we all would have gotten along if he grew up here too.

Owen ordered another cocktail and I didn't even have to ask before Kathy placed a coconut drink down in front of me. "You boys need anything to eat?" She offered helpfully. "The night's still young and it's no good to drink on an empty stomach." We all took her up on the food and she told the peachy-haired chef to cook us something up. The best part of living in a small town like this was that people came to learn what you liked and didn't like. I could trust that Chase, rude as he might be, wouldn't serve me something gross. At least as long as I didn't piss him off.

The three of us ate in companionable silence, focusing on stuffing our faces, while Kathy went about the bar making sure everybody was happy. There was a slow trickle of townsfolk coming into the bar and from the sound of things people had heard that Selena had come to dance. Toucan Island wasn't far away; many people in town had taken the ferry to the island at one point or another and met Selena or her parents. Kasey turned to me and spoke up.

"Have you met Selena?" He asked with a simple smile. "I visited the island when the seas calmed and she followed me back hoping to dance. It caused a little bit of a mess with her parents, but I'm glad Kathy is helping her with her dream."

"Yea Kathy is quite the woman." Owen said with a grin and a quick glance to where Kathy was talking and laughing with Phoebe, the inventor, and an unfamiliar man in a cowboy hat. The slight flush of his cheeks that was already building from the alcohol darkened further when Kathy glanced toward us and threw Owen a little smile. His crush had really grown quite obvious over the years, even to me, but he still hadn't made his move.

"Yup Kathy's the one that told me Selena was here." I said quickly, trying to draw attention away from Owen. If Kasey stepped on his toes over Kathy then things would get weird. Owen could get a bit jealous and I didn't want a repeat of the time Chase got a little too liberal with his compliments of the blonde woman. The Goddess only knows how he would take it if Kasey said something after Kathy was already praising his work on saving the island. Owen, despite being a gentle giant, wasn't above a bar fight if he was drunk enough. "I met her earlier today but I don't think we'd met before that. Well who knows though, my memory isn't that great. I was thinking though, why would her coming here cause problems with her parents?"

"She uh… Well she sort of ran away." Kasey cleared his throat and blushed slightly, seemingly embarrassed. "She stowed away on the boat when her parents said they didn't want her to leave."

I gave a little whistle at that tidbit. "Well she sure is courageous. Lord knows what Pops would do if I ran away. Hopefully everything works out with her parents."

"I think it will." His voice sounded a little distant at that, but I didn't dwell on it, my mind already growing fuzzy from the drink. It was only a few seconds after our conversation ended that the volume started to rise in the bar. We'd been sitting on our stools for a little over a half hour at that point; the sun had set and the bar had grown crowded. People were pressed together on barstools and around the tables scattered across the room. Kasey stood up and started milling around the bar, making conversation with everyone else, and I settled in to wait for Selena's appearance, nursing a new cocktail.

I didn't wait long.

The lighting in the bar dimmed slightly and the people around me grew quieter as the stage lit. Through the dull quiet I could actually hear the soft clinking of Selena's bracelets and the coins that hung from her shirt and pants. Just as she reached the center of the stage, the music started. The beating of the drum started low and deep, then was joined by a faster drum. As the faster drum started to beat time, Selena started the slow gyration of her hips. Her hands and arms moved mesmerizingly around her and she twirled in circles, the movement of her hips growing in speed as more exotic instruments took up the melody. I don't have words to describe what an amazing dancer she was; she held the audience captive for the entire performance.

The room erupted into applause and the exotic redhead made eye contact with me when she came out of her shallow bow. I have to admit, by the time the music stopped Selena had me feeling a whole lot of things I wasn't comfortable feeling in public. I blushed deeply, gave a loud whistle for her performance, and grinned wide. The lights in the bar came back on and Selena made her way over, smiling and waving as everyone shouted their compliments.

"Well? Did you like it?" She said, but it wasn't a question.

"How could I not! That was pretty awesome; you're a really great dancer." Selena smiled and leaned in towards me slightly, her hand coming up to just barely brush against my arm. Even though the bar was loud, I could hear my heart beating in my ears. I'd dated before, of course, but I'd never been around a woman like Selena. She practically oozed sex appeal; she knew what she had and she knew how to use it. I desperately hoped that I didn't look like an idiot and she'd chalk my blush up to me being kind of drunk.

"Really?" She asked with a little smirk, reaching up to brush her long bangs back into place.

"Even better than on the beach." Is what I would have said if Kasey hadn't come up behind me and stolen the words right out of my mouth. _She danced for _him _on the beach too?! _Her hand left the bare skin of my bicep and she turned to look at him, her lips parting in a beautiful smile. He relaxed into that obnoxious slouch of his and put that stupidly cool smirk on his face. Selena was giving him this look like he was the most interesting thing in the world, the look she had just been giving _me_. I couldn't tell if I wanted to puke my guts out or deck Kasey right then and there, but maybe that was just the alcohol talking.

"Thank you." She said, fluttering those long eyelashes at Kasey. My stomach clenched and my mouth tasted a little sour. Why didn't she thank me for my compliments? Before I let my face screw up into an ugly expression I distracted myself by downing the rest of my coconut cocktail, somewhat resenting the tropical flavor for the first time. The whole situation was kind of confusing. How long had they known each other? Did Selena like Kasey better than me? I didn't want her too, I realized simply. She was beautiful, and fiery, and I liked the way she paid attention when I spoke – even if it was only to hear me talk about her. Just when I was about to open my mouth and say something, probably something stupid, the bar fell silent.

"Marry me."

The words, which definitely weren't a question, hung heavy in the air. It was a very forward thing for Owen to say, and the everyone in the room turned to watch the unfolding scene.

"I… I…" Kathy stammered, her faced flushed red with embarrassment. "That's kind of random…" She muttered, wringing her hands.

"What? Does the idea bother you?" Owen had probably had more to drink than anyone in the room but his voice was clear, his words well-enunciated.

"Um… It doesn't bother me…" The room was still dead silent, watching expectantly for how this would work out. It wasn't the most traditional of proposals, but some things just didn't happen the traditional way between kids like us. "But! I'm worried about what will happen if I get married!" She amended quickly, and a quiet murmur spread around the room.

A dry cough of a laugh came from Hayden back behind the bar. "I'm worried about what'll happen if you _don't_ get married!" He shouted out with a grin. It was no secret that Hayden got along with Owen as if he were his son.

"So, what d'ya say?" Owen asked with a big grin of his own.

"Ah…" Kathy went back to wringing her hands. She was outgoing, but she never did like being the center of attention like this. "Yes!" Her blush grew even darker as Owen let out a triumphant woop and swept her up in his arms.

My jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and I glanced around me for other people's reactions. Most of the room had little smiles on their faces as they forced their way through the crown to congratulate the couple or returned to their conversations. Selena's eyebrows were raised high in an expression of surprise, but Kasey just gave a little satisfied nod, as if he knew this was going to happen. It was all a little confusing, but I let the feeling go in favor of pushing my way towards my best friends.

"Congratulations!" I bellowed, crushing the two of them into a group hug. "It took the two of you long enough!" Kathy and Owen both laughed, linking their hands together. I felt like my grin might split my face in two as I got swept into the festivities of their engagement. By the time I left the bar I was drunker than I'd ever been and half the town was still in the bar either drinking or slumped over the tables. My mind was too clouded to dwell on much of anything but I felt a deep satisfaction at Owen and Kathy finally acting on the chemistry that they'd been dancing around for years. I stumbled back up the path towards home, certain to vomit if I took the mine cart but needing to fall into bed ASAP. It was late, and the next day's work never was delayed for a hangover.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>You guys! I can't believe I went that long without updating! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last few chapters and thanks for all the well-wishes I got during that little hiatus. I hope everyone had a lovely time over the holidays. It's been hell trying to get this chapter out but I think I might have finally gotten it right. I was going to update yesterday, but it was my birthday and I have an evening class this semester so things were pretty crazy. Chapter 14 _should _be up later today.

Things should return to two chapters a week Thursday updates after this unless I hit another roadblock. Would you guys want me to switch to uploading the chapters on separate days (like Tuesday, Thursday) or is doing two at a time like I have been ok?

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	14. Unorthodox Consultations

Chapter 14

**Unorthodox Consultations **

_Witch_

The morning after our mushroom excursion Luke showed up on my door step looking like total shit. He had dark circles under his eyes and his bandana was sloppy, even worse than the time I'd tied it for him. "Good morning, Princess!" He'd said cheerily, his tone terribly mismatched with his body language as he presented me with a Fugue Mushroom, glittering softly with magic and the dew of the early morning. The blue haired boy just looked so uncomfortably stressed, his muscles straining as though rebelling against his actions.

"… Good morning." I said with one brown quirked. "I was going to tell you today's task was to get a mushroom, since you didn't actually do that yesterday, but you seem to have beat me to the idea… Thank you." The tension drained out of his body at those two little words. It was… odd, to say the least. "Why don't you come inside." I said simply, taking the fungus from his hand before turning on my heel and going back to sit at the small table in my living room. My pot of hot tea was still half full and I snapped my fingers to call another cup over before sitting down. I heard Luke shut the door behind himself but I kept my back to him as I filled the second cup, not turning to him until he'd settled across from me. I wasn't a morning person, but Luke looked much worse off than me on even my worst of days. I slid the cup of tea towards him. "Another mushroom search was all I had planned for today, but I might as well get some conversation out of your visit."

He took a slow sip of the tea and tried to hide his confused look into the depths of the cup. I let out a little snort of laughter; he probably wasn't familiar with the flavor of nettle tea. Luke threw me a furtive glance at that and took another sip, rubbing at the dark circles under his eyes and letting his gaze roam over the things I'd left out on the table. If it had been Gale, I might have moved to snap my journal shut and hide it away the small stack of books, but I knew Luke didn't have half a chance of deciphering the magic language it was all written in.

"So what's got you looking like a drowned cat?" My tone was flippant and my expression disinterested, but I was showing concern in my own way. That's what friends did, I recalled from a distant past. Were we friends? The internal question unsettled me a little bit, given that I'd been trying to get the kid to leave me alone, but I ultimately ignored it. We certainly weren't friends if I didn't want us to be.

He chuckled quietly, staring down into his teacup instead of meeting my eyes. "Got a little rowdy at the bar last night is all." He said softly. I couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at that.

"And?" I prompted imperiously. There was no way I was about to believe that this was just a hangover. I'd been around for a long time, and something more than drinking had definitely happened.

Luke shrugged, still not meeting my eyes. "Sometimes I just feel like people don't like me." He looked almost like he was braced to be scolded, which somewhere in the back of my mind was a pleasing reinforcement of my recent efforts.

I really couldn't help but scoff. "Big whoop." My tone was acid. I didn't exactly specialize in staying on people's good sides myself and neither was I fond of sympathizing with spineless fools.

His eyes finally met mine, crinkled in a mixture of irritation and confusion. "People that I _want_ to like me." He spat. "They just like other people better." Something in his eyes was accusatory, and that made me uncomfortable. I couldn't read that implication, but my first instinct was that his eyes were saying I'd never wanted someone to like me. Which really was the farthest thing from the truth, since I'd spent the better part of my lifetime trying to get people to like me.

The corners of my mouth pulled down slightly and I took another sip from my teacup. "You can't please everyone. Oftentimes not even the people that you wish you could. That's just life, and I've learned it the hard way. They don't like you? Well _screw _them; they don't know what they're missing." I almost regretted phrasing it like that, since it made it sound like I liked Luke when really I was just talking about myself, but whatever; I was the Witch Princess, unapologetically. My statement stood firm.

Luke gave me a weak smile and the conversation turned to lighter subjects. We discussed the changing of the seasons and our preferences for different types of trees in the forest. I found it interesting that we both favored the ancient oaks that grew more towards the center of the forest, though for different reasons. I actually caught myself giving Luke a small, genuine smile when he left my cottage.

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><p>My good mood lasted well through the morning but thoughts of Luke's odd mood clung to me burs on one's socks; I could ignore them for now but I'd have to meticulously pick them off later. Kasey dropped by for a short visit and surprised me by actually having blackberry juice when I demanded it. He told me that there was a wedding due to happen in the next few months, one of the boys from the mines having proposed the previous night. That explained Luke's horrendous hangover but I still felt like there was more to know. I foraged for magic ingredients through the twilight and took off towards town when dusk finally fell over the land.<p>

When I reached the faded wooden door of Gale's house I didn't bother to knock; I walked right in. It was an overcast night and there were hardly any stars to be seen so he was sitting at his desk, sketching casting circles and pointedly ignoring me. "Knucklebones." I said sternly, slapping a roll of parchment down in front of him and crossing my arms. "Dragon knucklebones, specifically, are better for fortune telling than constellations. They are naturally imbued with magic and astrology is still an imperfect art. I'll wait for your formal response; now let's get over this little squabble for a few spare moments, shall we?" The Wizard finished his flourish and gently set his quill down before rotating in his chair and raising an eyebrow at me.

"To what do I owe the… pleasure of your intrusion?" He asked simply, sliding easily in the old language. It sounded so much more natural to my ears than the modern tongue and I resisted the urge to smile. Gale was the only person I could speak this language with, aside from the gods. I scrunched up my nose and tapped my foot.

"I have need of your counsel on the subject of a human's heart. I have acquired something of an indentured servant and he appears to be having some sort of social problem I wish to know more about. He is not particularly… articulate." I explained as I started to wander around Gale's room, strolling alongside his bookshelves and running my fingers down the spines of the tomes that I didn't recognize.

Gale let out a small sigh and his chair scraped along the stone floor as he stood. "Princess, you are always making such mischief… What do you offer in exchange?" His hard-soled boots snapped against the stone and were promptly silenced as he stepped onto the thick carpet in the center of the room and approached his crystal ball.

"This brat makes his own fair share of mischief as well." I let out a little snort of laughter as I rounded on the Wizard and placed my hands on my hips. "I offer you a Fugue Mushroom, the magical ingredient that grows exclusively in _my_ forest." The declaration of ownership was clear, a statement that I knew he'd been sneaking around taking my mushrooms and that I wasn't all too tolerant of it.

"Very well." Gale gave me a terse nod and raised his hands to hover over his implement. "Into whose heart do you wish me to gaze?"

"Luke. Tell me what has him confused and unhappy."

The crystal ball lit under the Wizards hand and he gazed at the glowing orb intensely. "There are… feelings of confusion about his place." Gale always speaks slowly and precisely when giving a reading, carefully choosing the words to articulate what he finds without revealing too much. "Socially he feels… that he is not first in any person's heart. He is confident, but… lately feels that others do not see his greatness… In particular he feels… Competition with the one sent by the Goddess."

I felt like he wasn't telling me the whole story but his face was stone and I couldn't read anything into it. He always was better than me at the ethical aspect of magic, no wonder master had willed him the crystal ball and not me. I dared not ask for more information, knowing that it would either end with a lecture on our responsibilities in dealing with mortal hearts or getting kicked out of his house for the umpteenth time. "And your counsel, Wizard?" I asked, keeping my voice level.

He hummed and allowed the crystal ball to fall dark. "Perhaps you should consult your own heart… For this one… actions will speak much louder than words."

"Hm." I quirked an eyebrow at Gale before pulling out the promised mushroom and dropping it into his hand. I didn't waste any time standing around or trying to start up a conversation, I wasn't in the mood. I swept out of the room and headed back towards the forest, my mind storming with my predicament. Luke didn't feel like he was first in anyone's heart but I certainly wasn't going to do something ridiculous like make it seem like he came first in mine. _We are _not_ friends_. I reminded myself sternly.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I like to imagine both the Witch and Wizard are rather mired in the academia of magic. They don't really have much else to do with all that time they spend alone. Having drawn out arguments about magical theory with full-blown research papers and all is a concept I just can't let go of. I'm not really sure about how I feel about this chapter as a whole, I may come back to change some things about it.

Things should return to two chapters a week Thursday updates after this unless I hit another roadblock. Would you guys want me to switch to uploading the chapters on separate days (like Tuesday, Thursday) or is doing two at a time like I have been ok?

Thanks for reading! Please review!


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